Love & Basketball
by HaroldtheUnicorn
Summary: At seventeen years old, Spencer Carlin thought that she had her entire life figured out. She was the star point guard for the high school basketball team and soon to be the valedictorian of her graduating class. She didn't have time for girls. Or so she thought - until she met Ashley Davies.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: This is my first story, so bear with me. Feedback would be much appreciated.

Disclaimer: I do not own South of Nowhere, sadly.

* * *

Preface

At seventeen years old, Spencer Carlin thought that she had her entire life figured out. She was the star point guard for the high school basketball team and soon to be the valedictorian of her graduating class. She already had a scholarship lined up at The University of Maryland.; as long as she kept up her grades and her star player status, she would be playing for the Maryland Terrapins next fall.

She was an out and proud lesbian, both to her family and to her entire school, but she didn't have time for girls. There was too much pressure on her. No girl would come between her and her scholarship. Or so she thought. Until one fateful day, she made a stupid wager with her brother that, unbeknownst to the blonde, would turn her entire world upside down.

* * *

Chapter One

"You suck worse than usual today, little bro," I tease as I sink another shot into the hoop. I've been destroying Glen so far in our pick-up game.

"I've just been taking it easy on you, is all," the boy supplies. He's so full of shit.

"Oh really?" I muse, "I suppose you always go easy on me then, huh? Since you've never beaten me one-on-one."

"I'm just trying to give you a confidence boost, sis," he replies, "God knows you need it after that beaten you guys took last night."

My high school basketball team had lost to our rivals last night, the Patapsco High Jaguars. Badly. And I was still pretty pissed about it; Glen knew that. That's why we had come out here in the first place. I desperately needed to blow off some steam.

"Fuck you, Glen," I seethe, shoving the basketball into his gut, causing him to keel over, clutching at his stomach.

"Damn. Lighten up, Spence," he retorts, as he regains his breath. "It was a joke. Ya know, j-o-k-e. Joke."

"Haha. Funny." I reply sarcastically, holding up one choice finger for my brother.

"I knew this was a bad idea," the younger blonde relents. "If you really wanna blow off some steam, you should just come to the party tonight."

Glen had been trying to convince me to come to some party that his teammate was hosting that night. I knew he had a point, that I should just go to the party. The only way that I had ever been able to truly cool off was to throw back a couple of Coronas. But I was in a shit mood and I felt like being stubborn.

"Oh my God, Glen! For the millionth time, I do not want to go to Chad's lame ass party!" I yell in response, infuriated that he would even bring the idea up again.

"Why not?!" the younger sibling questions, not willing to give up on the subject.

"Will you just drop it, already?" I snap at him, wishing that he would quit pestering me about this stupid party already.

"Alright, I'll drop it," Glen starts, "If you beat me."

I roll my eyes at his proposal. "Glen, I'm destroying you, there's no way you're gonna come back," I state matter-of-factly.

"Well, this should be easy then," the boy supplies with a smile. He holds the basketball out me and I take it, a sign that I've accepted his proposal.

"Of course it will," I say as I absentmindedly bounce the ball.

"One more thing," he pauses and waits for me to nod my head for him to continue, "If I come back and beat you, you have to go to this 'lame ass party' with me tonight," Glen propositions.

I scoff at my curly-headed sibling and reply, "Like that will ever happen."

Glen just smiles in response; I relent.

"Whatever."

I doubt there is any way that he'll come back from the 15-6 whooping I'm putting on him on the basketball court. He never does.

"Sweet!" Glen exclaims as I check the ball up to him. As soon as he gets it in his hands, he throws up a jumper from behind the three-point line and scores two points. "I hope you didn't have any plans tonight," he boasts, grinning at me.

"Calm down Glen, it was just one basket," I huff, and mumble something along the lines of "Lucky shot," under my breath as I pass the ball back to him.

Ten minutes later, the game is tied, 20-20. Next point wins the game.

I have the ball, dribbling around the court._ "This is the best defensive game I think he's ever played,"_ I think to myself as I try to break away from my brother's coverage. I fake a shot, making Glen jump up to block, leaving me with an opening. Driving through the hole, I throw up a lay-up and, much to my surprise, I miss. I let out a frustrated growl, _"I never miss that shot!"_

The taller blonde is able to jump over me and secure the rebound, swiftly backing up to clear the ball. He fakes inside and I back up, thinking that he's going to drive for the basket. Instead, the older sibling steps back and shoots a long-range fade away. I become slack-jawed as I watch Glen's shot go in.

"YEAH!" Glen exclaims in disbelief, as he celebrates his first ever win over me one-on-one, "Wooo! I can't believe I actually won!"

"That makes two of us," I retort, watching as my brother proceeds to go into a victory dance that involves both the cat daddy and the dougie, something no human should ever have to witness.

"Alright, ya big goof," I tease him, ruffling his curly hair, "I suppose we should go get ready for this party."

Glen, being reminded of the fact that I now have to accompany him to the party, abruptly ends his dance and starts to drag me home, donning a triumphant smile.

"This is going to be one hell of a party, Spence!" Glen states excitedly.

"If you say so," I mumble.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews, follows, etc. Hope you enjoy the second chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own South of Nowhere.

* * *

Chapter Two

As much as I had protested going to this party, I was actually really looking forward to it; looking forward to the chance to unwind. It's not something that I allow myself to do very often. I was never really afforded the time for it anyway. Hell, I was never afforded the time to do much of anything, really. Especially during basketball season. I was just too focused on the game and on school. I had been wound up so tight this past week though that I felt like this was much needed. I had been forced to have lunch with my mother earlier in the week, which is always stressful. And the loss last night had just piled on even more stress.

An explosion was impending.

As sit on my bed lacing up my Jordans, I look across at the reflection of myself in my stand-up mirror. I was wearing my favorite letterman jacket, the one I had gotten my junior year - the year that I led the basketball team to a state championship. I considered it to be lucky.

I take one last look at myself, smoothing out my black skinny jeans, and stand up. I grab my keys and my cell phone off my desk, securing them in my jacket pocket, before heading out of my room in search of Glen.

"Yo, Glen!" I bellow as I walk down the hallway towards his room. Finding his door slightly ajar, I push it open some more and peer into the room, finding it empty. _"Must be in the bathroom still,"_ I think to myself as I turn to go further down the hallway.

As I approach the bathroom, I hear the unmistakable sound of Glen singing. "You have got to be kidding me," I chuckle to myself as he continues to belt out Red, not knowing that he has an audience.

**Loving you was red**  
**R-r-r-red**  
**R-r-r-red**  
**R-r-r-red**  
**R-r-r-red**

"Hey, pansy!" I yell to get his attention, as I stand in front of the bathroom door. He abruptly stops singing, undoubtedly embarrassed that I caught him singing Taylor Swift. Again. "I'm leaving in five minutes, with or without you!"

I hear Glen mumble something incoherently before replying, "I'll meet you downstairs."

Upon hearing this, I make my way downstairs and into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. As I'm leaning into the fridge, I hear someone else walk into the kitchen.

"Going out, sweetheart?"

I turn around to find my dad smiling at me from the doorway, the signature Carlin smile.

I send him my own smile and reply, "Yep. Glen has somehow convinced me to go to some lame party with him tonight."

"There was no convincing needed," Glen informs our father as he makes his way into the kitchen. "I beat her one-on-one earlier, so she's being forced to accompany me."

"No way!" my dad exclaims in disbelief, "You actually beat her for once?"

Glen scoffs at this, offended that he finds it so hard to believe. Instead of defending himself though, he opts to stuff his face with a pop-tart he had just grabbed out of the pantry.

"I couldn't believe it either, dad," I supply, before chugging half of my bottle of water.

"Well, I'm just glad that you're getting out of the house for once," my father reveals, his eyes full of concern.

"Yeah, me too," I sigh, walking over to him to give him a hug, which he happily returns.

"Keep Glen out of trouble, will ya?" he requests in a whisper as he rests his chin next to my ear.

"I always do," I state as I pull out of the embrace and look at the boy as he continues to scarf down his pop-tart.

"C'mon loser, let's go," I say to him as I make my way towards the door. He stands up and shakes all of the crumbs off his shirt before following me.

"Have a good night, guys. And be safe," my dad requests as Glen is putting his coat on.

"Will do, pops," the younger blonde replies before walking out the door.

"Love you, dad," I call back to him as I follow Glen out into the brisk night.

"Love you too, honey," he replies as he watches us walk down the driveway.

"Can you unlock the door before I freeze my nipples off?" the younger Carlin requests as he stands next to my red Nissan 350Z. Yeah, I know. My car is fucking hot.

"Your wish is my command," I reply sarcastically as I unlock the car and hop in next to Glen.

"Let's go get fucking wasted!" he exclaims after he secures his seat belt, pumping his fist in the air.

"You're an idiot," I tease him as I pull out of the driveway.

As soon as we get to the party, I leave Glen behind and head straight for the kitchen, seeking out the only alcoholic beverage I would ever let grace my lips - Corona. Chad always kept a stash in the back of his fridge for me and I quickly found it. Opening one up, I take a few sips, leaning against the counter, and immediately feel myself begin to loosen up. _"God, I love Corona."_

A few minutes later Glen makes his own way into the kitchen and sees me with my beer in hand. "Feel better now?" he inquires as he grabs his own drink of choice from the fridge. Bud Light.

"Indubitably."

"Yo, Glen! Spencer!" I hear someone exclaim, coming into the kitchen. I look up to find Aiden looking down at me through hazy eyes, undoubtedly drunk already.

"Aiden, what's up?" Glen asks as they proceed to go into some lengthy handshake that they've been doing since they became best friends in the eighth grade.

"Not much, dude," the raven-haired boy replies as they finish up their handshake. "I haven't seen you at a party in awhile, Spence," he says, sounding concerned.

Aiden knows that I only come to parties when I'm feeling overwhelming stressed out, so the concern in his voice doesn't surprise me.

I just shrug and reply, "Rough week."

"I'll drink to that," Glen chimes in, lifting his bottle up between the three of us. Aiden and I lift ours up in agreement before bringing them back to our lips.

Aiden finishes off his bottle and slams it down on the counter, howling. _"Yep, he's drunk."_ He grabs another beer and then turns to us saying, "Me and Kyla are hanging out in the den if you guys wanna join us."

I don't miss the way that Glen's face lights up at the mention of Kyla's name. He looks to me for an answer; I give him what he wants.

"Yeah, sure," I reply, knowing that seeing Kyla will make my brother's night. Aiden leads us out of the kitchen in search of Kyla.

The den is packed; a sweaty mass of gyrating bodies dancing to some overrated hip hop song. I can feel the bass thumping in my chest as I struggle to keep up with Aiden and Glen in the midst of the crowd. We resurface on the far side of the den, where people are lounging on several couches that had been pushed over here to make room for the makeshift dance floor.

"God Dennison, how long does it take to get a girl a beer?" I hear an unfamiliar voice ask.

I follow Aiden's line of sight and see what appears to be Kyla, sitting on a couch facing away from us. And next to her, leaning over the back of the couch, peering at the boy next to me, is some girl I had never met.

As we approach the couch, Aiden looks down at the watch on his wrist, then back up at the unfamiliar girl. "I'd say it took me about ten minutes," he deadpans, handing her the beer he had gotten out of the fridge.

The curly-headed brunette punches Aiden on the arm after taking the drink. "Thanks, loser," she says, twisting the top off her beer.

Kyla, who had seemingly just noticed us, jumped up over the back of the couch and squealed, "Spencer! I haven't seen you at a party in forever!" She takes me up in a hug that I can't help but reciprocate. Kyla tends to have that sort of effect on people. As I rest my chin on her shoulder, I notice that the other brunette is staring at me with a look that I can't quite read.

"Rough week?" Kyla asks as she releases me, looking at me knowingly.

I nod. "I just really need to cool off," I state, hoping that she'll drop the subject. She does.

Turning to Glen, she throws her arms around him as well, pulling him into a hug that I'm sure he appreciates more than she thinks. The shorter girl throws him a wink as she pulls away, and I swear I see Glen blush a little.

The girl still seated on the couch climbs over it to stand next to Kyla and clears her throat. It's now that I really take in the girl's appearance. She's short, probably only about 5'2, with a head full of luscious brunette curls. She's wearing a band tee, dark skinny jeans and a pair of low-top vans. She's absolutely gorgeous. What really intrigues me about her though is her eyes; dark chocolate orbs that are so full of... something. And they are now fixed on me, forcing me to look away and become present in whatever conversation was going on around me.

"Yo, earth to Spence," Aiden says, waving his hands in front of me. I realize that everyone's eyes are on me now for some reason.

"What?" I question looking around the group, my eyes landing on the gorgeous brunette again.

"Spence, this is my cousin, Ashley," Kyla supplies, gesturing towards the shorter girl to her left. "Ash, this is Spencer," she gestures towards me now.

The brunette takes a step towards me and holds her hand out to me, "Nice to meet you, Spencer," falls from her lips as I take her hand in mine to shake it. Her hands are unbelievably soft.

I meet her eyes. "Nice to meet you too, Ashley," I reply with a bright smile. She smiles back, a nose-crinkling smile that makes my heart skip a beat. Yeah, it was that adorable.

"So uh would you uh maybe wanna dance?" I look over and find my brother nervously shifting his weight from foot to foot as he awaits Kyla's answer to the question.

She smiles up at him and nods, taking his hand and dragging him into the mass of bodies.

Aiden looks longingly at the dance floor then to me and Ashley; a silent request.

"Don't look at me," the smaller brunette chuckles, taking a sip of her beer as she leans on the couch behind her.

"You know I don't like to dance," I shrug.

"Why don't you go find your girlfriend," Ashley states like it's the most obvious thing in the world, "Dance with her."

Aiden's face lights up at the idea. "Right! I forgot Madison was here," he replies excitedly as he walks away from us in search of the girl in question.

"And then there were two," the girl supplies as I watch Aiden disappear into the crowd. I turn my head to find her smiling at me again. It's contagious. I decide to lean on the couch, next to her.

"So," the gorgeous brunette next to me starts, "You don't come to parties often?" I guess she had caught onto that from her cousin's reaction to me being there.

I keep me eyes on the dance floor as I take a sip of my Corona. "Nah, not really," I shrug. I can feel her eyes on me and it's making me feel both uncomfortable and exhilarated at the same time.

"Why is that?" she questions.

"I just don't usually have the time for it," I reply. The label on my Corona had suddenly become interesting as I tried to ignore the feeling of the mysterious girl watching me.

"A high school student that doesn't have time to party?" she let's out a small chuckle, "That's not something you hear everyday."

"Yeah, well, I guess I'm not your average teenager," I respond, feeling a little self-conscious under her stare.

"Definitely not," the brunette supplies, "Luckily for you, I find it intriguing."

This comment causes me to turn my head, wondering whether she's just messing with me or if she's serious. I look at her and she has a wicked smile on her face. I guess she's serious.

"Oh, really?" I muse, sharing a smile with her.

She nods her head, "Makes me wanna figure you out," the girl admits quietly, her eyes conveying something that I can't quite read.

"There's nothing to figure out," I shrug, not knowing why this gorgeous girl would want to know anything about me.

The brunette leans into me, her mouth dangerously close to my ear, "I find that hard to believe," she whispers seductively, sending hot shivers through my body. I can feel my face heating up as she pulls away, donning a sultry smile.

Not really sure how to respond to that, I just give her a small smile. She looks as if she's going to say something else, but before she has a chance to my idiot brother comes barreling into me, causing me to spill my beer all over myself.

"Fuck, Glen!" I exclaim as I look down at my wet shirt, infuriated.

Ashley simply laughs at me as my goof of a brother throws his arm around me. I shrug it off immediately.

"My bad, sis," he apologizes, smiling down at me. I decide to let it go. For now. "Dad wants us home."

"Already?" I sigh. "We just got here." I found myself wanting to spend some more time with the brunette beauty standing next to me.

"You know how he gets sometimes," Glen supplies, sharing a look with me that only I would understand.

"Yeah," I relent, "Let's get out of here."

I turn to look at Ashley, surprised to find that she seems to be disappointed by the fact that I have to go. Makes two of us.

"It was nice meeting you, Spencer," she winks at me, smiling.

"Likewise," I reply, reciprocating the smile.

As I make my way to my car with Glen, I reach into my jacket pocket for my keys and am surprised to find a piece of paper in there.

**You're cute ;)**  
**443-526-8042**

I can't help the smile that breaks out on my face as I look at the note.


	3. Chapter 3

Replies to Reviews:

**whocares - **Thank you, I am happy to have another reader. I'm still trying to figure exactly what Spencer and Ashley's different roles are going to be in the relationship. I think I'm just gonna let it come naturally. I feel like I am leaning toward Spencer being the more dominant one though.

**Random Banana - **I wouldn't want to be responsible for your death. So here's an update :)

Author's Note: Thank you all for your continued support. Your reviews, favorites and follows really help to keep me motivated and writing. As long as you guys stick with me, I promise to keep updating pretty regularly.

Disclaimer: I do not own South of Nowhere :'(

* * *

Chapter Three

It's been three days since the party Saturday night. Three days since I met Ashley. Three days of not being able to get the gorgeous brunette out of my head. It's ridiculous, right? I mean, I hardly even know the girl.

I haven't seen her since the party. Not that I had expected to. Heck, I didn't even know why she was at the party in the first place. Like I said, I hardly even know her.

Why hadn't I met her before then? Was she just visiting Kyla? Maybe she just didn't come to parties often, like me?

All of these, among plenty of other questions, had been wracking my brain the past few days. It made it hard to focus in practice and even harder to focus in school.

I had always promised myself that I wouldn't let a girl come between my grades or, more importantly, my sport. And yet I found myself getting lost in thought during my basketball game.

We were playing at home against the Catonsville Jaguars, one of the worst teams in the county, but I had been off for most of the game. My head was way too clouded.

They had outscored us 49-26 in the first half; only 4 of our 26 points had come from me. But after Coach Martin's pep talk during half-time, we pulled our shit together.

I had scored 25 points so far in the second half, and the team had put together a great defensive run. So we found ourselves down by only two points with ten seconds left in regulation.

Good thing I thrive under pressure.

I have the ball to the start the possession. I jog up past mid-court to the top of the arc, passing the ball to Mary Pulson, the shooting guard.

Our power forward, Samantha Peterson, sets up a screen for me so I can get open in the corner post.

Mary passes the ball back to me and I take the open shot, behind the 3-point line, as time expires.

The shot sinks into the basket.

The crowd erupts with cheer as my teammates engulf me in a huge group hug.

We won, 91-90.

I was ecstatic.

* * *

As I'm walking out of the locker room after showering, I spot a familiar brunette leaning against the wall outside of the door.

Her head sprung up at the sound of the door opening and her face seems to light up at the sight of me. I'm sure my expression matches hers.

"Hey," she calls, pushing off the wall as I approach her. She seems to look even more beautiful tonight, wearing a simple navy blue sweatshirt and dark jeans, with her hair cascading over her shoulders.

"Hey yourself," I reply with a smile, losing myself in those gorgeous brown orbs. I had never really noticed anyone's eyes before, but there was something that was just so alluring about hers. I couldn't tell you what it was though.

Ashley clears her throat a little bit, allowing me to break free of the hold she seemed to have on me.

She looks me up and down, taking in my appearance as I stand there in my black skinnies and my University of Maryland hoodie.

I slip my hands into my pockets as she does so, feeling self-conscious under her gaze.

"You never called me. Or texted me," Ashley states, a small frown forming on her face.

I had wanted to at least text her, had thought about it on numerous occasions. I tried to convince myself that I hadn't gone through with it because deep down I didn't want a girl in my life; didn't need one in my life.

They only complicated things.

But I knew that the real reason was simply that I had no idea what to say to her.

"I just... didn't know what to say," I admit, hoping that she'll believe me.

She chuckles a little, a smile replacing the frown.

"Well, 'hi' would have been a good start," she teases, tucking a stray lock behind her ear as she peers at me.

"Too cliche," I joke, earning another chuckle from the brunette beauty. My heart skips a beat at the melodious sound.

"So you weren't just blowing me off?" she asks, hanging her head a little. I can see the vulnerability in her eyes. I can hear it in her voice. It makes me feel terrible.

"No, of course not," I reassure her gently as I chew on my bottom lip; a nervous habit.

She looks up, capturing my eyes with hers, and tilts her head to the side. It's quite adorable.

"You're adorable, you know," I state, voicing my thought. I blush at my own comment.

"Yeah?" she muses, a smile gracing her lips. I nod. "Well you look pretty damn hot on the court."

"You watched the game?" I ask in disbelief. How had I not seen her?

She closes most of the distance between us and starts playing with the strings of my hoodie. I can smell her shampoo. Something like mangoes and wild berry.

I will myself to continue breathing.

"Kyla told me that you play basketball and I couldn't help myself. I had to see you play," she confesses, her eyebrows knitting together as she focuses on her hands on my strings.

I put my hands over hers, willing her to make eye contact with me; she does. Her face is so close to mine. All I'd have to do is lean down a little and my lips would be upon hers. She looks down at my lips briefly, seemingly having the same thought.

"Carlin!"

Ashley lets her forehead fall against my shoulder as I whip my head to the side, finding Samantha standing at the end of the hallway, peering at us.

"We're ready to head out. You coming?" Sam questions, a confused look on her face.

I look down at the set of curls resting on my chest and pull Ashley's face up to meet my eyes, smiling softly.

"The team is going out for some celebratory pizza," I inform her, "Would you like to come?"

Her face seems to light up at the question.

"Of course," she replies, smiling brightly. I turn my head to find Sam still standing there.

"I'll meet you guys there!" I bellow, before bringing my attention back to Ashley, who's playing with my sweater again.

"I won't be intruding?" she asks softly, insecurely, as she looks up at me intently. I brush some hair behind her ear, chuckling a bit.

"No, not all," I reassure her as I take her hand in mine, leading her out of the building, towards the parking lot.

I had never been one for holding hands, hugging, cuddling, etc. Yet here I was, walking hand-in-hand with a girl I had only just met a few nights prior.

There was just something about Ashley, something impalpable, that seemed to be drawing me in.

Made me want to make her mine.

No matter the consequence.


	4. Chapter 4

Replies to Reviews:

**whocares - **Thank you for reviewing again! I'll admit, I'm not really one for drama, but spashley is definitely not happening that easily. I think you'll begin to see that in this chapter.

**WordDPlayy - **I'm glad that you're liking Spencer and Ashley's roles so far :)

**dragonsprit - **Slow is the only way to go :)

**Godlove - **Thank you for the reviews! :D

**Guest - **You love me? Girl, you trippin'. Thanks for the review though :P

**Southfan1253 - **Spencer is definitely a bit of a tomboy and she may be taking on a more dominant role. I'm not sure what g!p is though, so I can't answer your question.

Author's Note: You guys are awesome! I love to hear feedback from you all, so please keep the reviews coming. Here's an update with some insight into what's going on in Ashley's head... Enjoy! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own South of Nowhere. I do own my original characters though :)

* * *

Chapter Four

Ashley's Point of View

I never thought that I would end up spending my night with Spencer Carlin, especially since she had neglected to get in contact with me after I gave her my phone number the other night. I felt like I had been rejected. But I wasn't one to give up easily.

I also wasn't one to feel attracted to someone so easily. But it was different with Spencer. It's like there was some unseen force pulling me towards her.

I wasn't complaining.

I guess that's why I found myself at her high school earlier, watching her race up and down the basketball court. I had never before found it attractive for a girl to play a sport. But again, it was different with Spencer.

It was fascinating to me that someone could put so much effort into a sport. I just didn't see the point. It made me want to get inside the blonde's head, "figure her out", as I had said to her a few nights ago.

Not to mention, she looked hot as fuck going all superstar mode at the end of the game. I found myself getting excited over the fact that they won. And I never got excited over a sport. I suppose I was just wanting to share in Spencer's excitement.

I couldn't help but to seek her out after the game. I just felt the need to be around the blonde beauty.

Upon seeing her, I felt some sort of calm wash over me, as if just being in her presence was enough to make me feel at ease. Which is weird, considering the fact that I don't know the first thing about this girl.

On top of that, the whole time we were talking I had felt an overwhelming urge to be closer to her. I couldn't help but to give into it eventually and I found myself almost kissing the girl. I probably would have, had her teammate not interrupted us.

A part of me was happy for the interruption. I knew that I shouldn't be kissing her, not when I didn't really know anything about her.

This is why I accepted her offer to join her and her teammates for pizza. I felt like it was a great opportunity to get to know Spencer Carlin. Which brings me to where I am now, seated next to her at a table full of basketball players. Spencer had already introduced me to all of her teammates when we first showed up at the Pizza Hut.

To Spencer's left sits Samantha Peterson, the one who had interrupted our almost-kiss earlier. She's only slightly taller than Spencer and scrawny as anything. Her hair is medium length, dark brown.

Sitting across from me is Mary Pulson. She has a head full of reddish-orange curls and piercing blue eyes. I'm not really into redheads, but she seems to make it work for her.

Next to her is Chelsea Lewis. She plays center, whatever that means. She's dark-skinned and has her hair fixed into some intricate braids. She's probably the friendliest of the group.

And sitting at the other end of the table is Carmen Balderas, whom Spencer introduced as her best friend. She has long, jet-black hair with straight cut bangs that fall just above her eyebrows. She apparently plays the small forward position.

I sit quietly and listen as the five of them go on and on about the basketball game, their lingo lost on me. I found myself wishing, for the first time in my life, that I had some sort of sports knowledge.

"And that 3-pointer at the end was fucking awesome, Spence!" Carmen exclaims as she scarfs down her pizza. "We would've lost if it hadn't been for you." The rest of the team voices their agreement. Spencer chuckles as she lifts her glass to her lips, taking a sip of her coke.

Sitting her soda down, she says, "Thanks guys. But really, it was a team effort. And I have the best teammates in the state."

Aw, she's so modest. It's adorable, really.

"Damn right, you do!" Samantha jokes, looking at Spencer incredulously. The table erupts with laughter. I join in.

"So Ashley," Chelsea starts once the laughter dies down, looking over at me with a smile, "What school do you go to? I don't believe I've ever seen you at Cardinal Gibbons before." She was right about that. I didn't go to the same school as them.

"Actually," I start to reply, looking next to me at Spencer, "I'm in college." I had yet to let the blonde in on that fact, so I'm not surprised when her eyebrows shoot up in disbelief.

"You didn't tell me that," she says, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

"You didn't ask," I shrug.

"What college do you go to?" Mary asks from across the table, forcing me to look away from Spencer. I look around and notice that everyone's eyes are on me.

I clear my throat, feeling slightly self-conscious. "I go to Johns Hopkins," I inform them.

"Dude, that's sweet!" Carmen supplies from the other end of the table, "My brother goes there. Maybe you know him?"

"Carmen, there's like 20,000 students that go there," Spencer chimes in, "I doubt she knows your idiot brother." She rolls her eyes at her best friend before going back to her pizza.

She has a point. There's little chance that I know her brother. "What's his name?" I find myself asking anyway.

"Gabriel," she answers me. Huh, it does sound familiar. Gabriel Balderas.

"Doesn't he play for their lacrosse team?" Samantha asks.

"Yep. He's their star player," Carmen states proudly. Lacrosse? Was that the sport with the stick?

"Is that the sport with the stick?" I ask, voicing my thought. Carmen and Samantha start to laugh uncontrollably at my expense. I sink into my seat. Spencer notices this and gives me an apologetic look.

"Where did you get this girl from, Spence?" Carmen jokes, but Spencer doesn't find it funny. Instead she glares at her best friend.

"Lay off her," she says irritably, "Not everyone knows everything there is to know about fucking sports, Balderas." She's so cute when she's defending me.

"Simmer down, Carlin," Samantha teases, eliciting another laugh from Carmen.

"Fuck off, Peterson," Spencer retorts. Chelsea and Mary appear to be unfazed by the exchange as they talk amongst themselves. I guess this is a common occurrence.

I move my hand under the table and bring it to rest on Spencer's thigh in an attempt to calm her down; I'm not sure if it does. But it does gain me her attention as she turns to look at me. I can see the fire in her smouldering blue eyes fade as she peers into my own eyes.

"You ready to get out of here?" she asks me softly. I nod.

Spencer turns to her friends and says, "Ashley and I are blowing this joint." They all sort of nod in acknowledgement as she fishes some money out of her wallet. I go to grab my own money, but a hand on my own stops me.

"Don't dare try to pay for yourself," Spencer scolds me playfully, setting enough money down to pay for the both of us. I don't argue with her.

"See you at practice tomorrow?" Samantha asks as she lets us out of the booth. Spencer scoffs.

"Of course."

"It was nice meeting you all," I tell them, standing at the head of the table. They all respond with a "You too," as I turn around to follow Spencer out into the cool night.

* * *

Ten minutes later I find myself sitting in Spencer's car in her high school parking lot, parked next to my Corvette. I had driven it to her game earlier.

Spencer kills the engine and turns in her seat to look at me.

"Thanks for putting up with my friends," she says, that apologetic look on her face again.

"It was worth it," I state with a smile, eliciting a smile from her as well. "Seriously though, they're not that bad." I was being honest. I thought they were pretty cool.

Spencer chuckles at this, apparently not convinced. "So, are you going back to campus, or...?"

I give her a confused look. She must think I live on campus. "Oh, I don't live on campus," I inform her. "I live in an apartment a few minutes from there."

Her eyebrows shoot up in surprise. She seems to do that a lot. "You have an apartment?" she asks in disbelief.

"Yep," I answer nonchalantly.

"How do you afford that?" she questions as she moves her arm to rest on the top of my head rest.

"My parents pay for it. They're kind of wealthy," I tell her. I turn in my seat, much like she had done, and capture her beautiful blue eyes with my own.

"Huh," she says, not really knowing how else to reply. Her fingers start to play with the hair on the top of my head as I lean it on the head rest.

"I should probably get going," I state reluctantly, "I have class in the morning. And you have school."

"Yeah," she agrees with a sigh.

"Will you call me?" I ask, hope evident in my voice.

"Definitely," she says with a smile, which I return before moving to get out of the car. I close the door and lean down to peer in at her through the open window.

"Goodnight, Ashley," she says softly, a smile still gracing her gorgeous face.

"Goodnight, Spencer," I reciprocate her smile and throw in a wink before backing up and watching her drive off.

Once her car disappears from my view, I climb into my own car and make my way home.

My dreams that night would undoubtedly be filled with the blonde basketball player.

I was looking forward to it.


	5. Chapter 5

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Author's Note: I apologize for the wait, guys. I suck. Things have been pretty hectic lately. "Tis the season!" Thank you for your continued support for this story. Seriously. Muchos gracias. Hopefully I don't keep you waiting too long again. I can't make any promises though. I'm gonna stop talking now... Enjoy the update! :)

Disclaimer: I own nada.

* * *

Chapter Five

Spencer's Point of View

It's Friday night. I have all the girls from the team over my house watching the Wizards game with me, along with Glen and a few of his teammates, including Aiden. My dad had called earlier and said that he had to work late at the office, so I had Carmen bring over some beers.

So here we all sat, crowded around the television in the den, beers in hand, as we cheer on our favorite team. Only I'm not really feeling that into it for once. My mind is elsewhere; and by that I mean I'm too busy thinking about Ashley, whom I've been texting throughout most of the game.

It doesn't help that the Wizards are getting destroyed by the Pacers; they're down 72-56, midway through the third quarter. Disappointing much?

"Jesus fucking Christ! Learn how to fucking shoot, Ariza!" Carmen yells at the tv as we watch Trevor Ariza miss another 3-pointer.

"Ariza is a fucking bum," Samantha adds as she leans back in her chair, taking a sip of her beer.

"Fucking A right he is," Aiden agrees from beside her. I roll my eyes at them.

"You guys won't be saying that when he makes a shot," I counter, knowing full well that I'm absolutely right.

Glen, who's sitting next to me on the couch, scoffs at my statement, "Like that'll ever happen." I shrug my shoulders.

My cell phone vibrates in my pocket, signaling a new text from Ashley. I open it immediately.

**Nah, I'm an only child. It sucks :'( Seriously though, I've always wanted siblings. Too bad my parents don't feel the same way... Do you have any siblings other than Glen?**

After coming to the conclusion that we really don't know much about each other, Ashley suggested that we play twenty questions. I was quick to oblige; I was eager to learn more about the gorgeous brunette.

I contemplate whether I should tell Ashley about Clay, my adopted brother who died last year. I usually hate opening up to people about him, yet I find myself wanting to confide in Ashley; so I do.

**Um, no. I actually had another brother named Clay. My parents adopted him when I was seven; he was a year younger than me. I think I spent more time with him than with Glen when we were growing up.**

I feel myself getting a little emotional as I think about Clay. About how he was torn from the world at the tender age of 16. The wounds are still fresh after a year.

Glen seems to notice my sudden change in mood. "You okay, sis?" he asks as he look at me with concern in his eyes.

I smile, for Glen's sake. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just upset about the game," I lie.

Glen had taken Clay's death worse than I had, so I didn't wanna tell him what I was thinking about. My dad took it the worst though. And shortly afterwards him and my mom divorced. Poor guy.

**You had another brother? What happened to him?**

I let out a sigh as a begin to relive the night that Clay died. I had convinced Clay to come to his first party that night. He was a bookworm who preferred to stay home and study or do homework on a Friday night. But I got him to come out, somehow. And it turned out to be the greatest regret of my life.

He was mistaken for someone else by a local gang member and stabbed in the back. I was standing right across from him when it happened. The doctors couldn't save him and the fucking cunt who stabbed him somehow got away with it, despite several eye witness accounts. Fucking corrupt ass court system. After that, I promised myself that if my basketball dream didn't come to fruition I would move to Canada, away from the government that had robbed me of the conviction of my brother's murderer. Fuck America.

**He got stabbed at a party last year.**

I leave the rest out, not really wanting to talk about it at the moment.

"Fuck yeah! I fucking love Ariza, man!" Carmen bellows. I haven't been paying much attention to the game, but I'm guessing that Ariza had just made a 3-pointer. I chuckle at my best friend's apparent change of heart.

"Oh, now you love him, huh?" I muse, raising an eyebrow in Carmen's direction.

"Shut the fuck up, Carlin," she says, avoiding my statement as she usually does when I prove her wrong. Which happens pretty often.

"Suck a dick, Balderas," I retort offhandedly. We insult each other a lot, if you hadn't noticed.

"I'll offer up mine," Mike, one of Glen's friends, supplies jokingly.

Carmen sends him a glare and punches him in the arm. "In your dreams, Mikey."

I feel my cell vibrate and I tune out the rest of the conversation as I read the text from Ashley.

**Oh, wow. Spencer, I'm so sorry. That's horrible.**

I really don't feel like talking anymore about Clay's death right now. So I tell her just that.

**It's okay. I really don't feel like talking about it right now though.**

I lean back in my seat as I send the text and try to focus on the basketball game. I watch as the players run up and down the court, but it's all just a blur. Memories of that night seem to be clouding my vision. I take a big gulp of my Corona in an attempt to calm my mind as I lazily pull out my phone to see a new text.

**Consider the subject dropped. For now. Moving onto the next question... How many relationships have you been in?**

Now that I think about, I've never actually had a girlfriend. I mean, I've talked to plenty of girls, but I never made it official with any of them.

**Zero, actually. I've never been official with anyone. What about you?**

I can feel the alcohol starting to take effect and I welcome the feeling.

"What's up with you tonight, Carlin?" Samantha asks from the other side of the room, peering at me over her beer bottle.

"Nothing's up with me," I reply nonchalantly as I finish off my beer. Samantha snorts.

"She's been over there texting someone throughout the game," Mary teases as she wiggles her eyebrows suggestively.

"Who ya texting, Spence?" Chelsea asks, clearly amused.

"No one," I shrug. Just as I say this, my cell vibrates audibly in my lap. I look down at it and back up at my friends, debating whether I should pick it up. _Fuck it._. I pick it up.

"Doesn't seem like 'no one'," Carmen chides. I show her my middle finger as I open my messages.

**I've been in two serious relationships. Why have you never made it official with anyone?**

I contemplate this for a moment before replying.

**No one has ever held my attention long enough.**

Ashley seemed to be keeping my attention though. Even my friends had noticed, apparently.

"Seriously, Carlin. Who's got you all smiley?" Sam asks, seeming genuinely interested. I didn't even realize that I had been smiling.

"Ashley," I confess with a sigh.

"The chick you brought to Pizza Hut?" Carmen inquires.

"Yup. That chick," I roll my eyes at my best friend.

"I liked her," Chelsea supplies with a smile. I send her a mental thank you.

"Isn't that the chick we met at that party?" Glen asks, his brows furrowing in confusion.

"Yeah," I reply.

"Ashley Davies?" Aiden asks, clearly surprised. I nod. "Kyla's cousin?" I nod again. "Nice! She's fucking hot, dude!"

"Fuck yeah, she is," I agree as he gives me a high five.

I get up and head into the kitchen to get myself another beer. My cell vibrates as I lean into the fridge. I set my Corona down on the counter and pull my phone out of my pocket.

**Am I keeping your attention?**

I decide to be honest with her.

**Considering the fact that I can't get you out of my head? I'd say yes.**

I grab a bottle opener out of the drawer and pop open my Corona before heading back towards the den. Halfway there I receive another text from Ashley.

I'm glad we're in the same boat :) Are you free tomorrow afternoon?

I take my seat next to Glen and ruffle his hair before replying.

**I may be able to clear up my schedule.**

"Put the phone away and watch the game, Carlin! We're about to pull off a comeback," Carmen exclaims as she sits on the edge of her seat.

I look over at the tv and see that we're down by only 4 with 30 seconds left. I find myself getting back into the game for a minute, but the buzzing of my phone pulls me back.

**Go on a date with me?**

The room erupts with cheer and I look up to see the score. Wizards won by one point. I found myself smiling for an entirely different reason though.

**If you insist ;)**

Spencer Carlin has got herself date.


End file.
